BRITTON – Sterling Mertens never planned on being a gymnast.

In fact, the Britton-Hecla senior had her sights set on an entirely different path as a youngster, and, but for a promise made in the third grade, she might have been blazing trails on the wrestling mat or the basketball court.

“Britton hosts a (summer rec) camp every year,” Mertens said, “and a friend invited me to go to this camp. I was scared as heck, because that wasn’t something I was looking into doing. I was so used to wrestling and basketball.”

Regardless, Mertens accepted the invitation and signed up. That’s where she first met Britton-Hecla gymnastics coach Angela Grupe, who was working at one of the gymnastics stations.

“She asked me if I was going to be on her team when I was old enough,” Mertens said. “I said yes, because I was having a good time.”

The rest, as the story goes, is history. When Mertens reached sixth grade, she kept that promise and joined the gymnastics team, trying hard to balance her time and attention between basketball practice and gymnastics.

That lasted about a year before Mertens realized she needed to make a choice. She chose gymnastics.

Fast forward six years and Mertens – who is coming off a top-10 finish in the individual all-around competition at last year’s State A meet – is one of the state’s top competitors in the sport she fell so unexpectedly in love with.

She’s also unexpectedly enjoying something else within the sport of gymnastics – the balance beam.

Mertens said she was drawn to the sport by the floor exercise and has always enjoyed the free-swinging feeling of bars and the high-flying vault.

Beam, not so much.

Over the past four years, Mertens and the beam have had a sort of tacit agreement that the other exists, but it never vied for the title of favorite and Mertens just let it be.

But once again, Mertens found herself surprised.

“Beam has kicked it in this year,” she said. “Something just clicked and I’m always over there in practice.”

Mertens said a long-ago gift has helped her when it comes not only to her performance on beam, but in all four disciplines.

“My ninth grade year we had a girl come and bring us a little present at regions or our home meet,” Mertens said. “She brought us a rock and a letter. In that letter was a line that said ‘Breathe and believe that your coaches have taught you what you need to know.’ That’s something that’s stuck with me. Beam is such a mental sport as much as it is physical. Just to remember that my coaches have taught me what I need to know.”

“Sterling is driven by being better than she was yesterday,” Grupe said. “Personal growth, hard work and determination set her apart.”

As Mertens’ high school campaign comes to a close, she hopes she can pass some of that love on to a new crop of gymnasts.

“Just being there for the little ones and making them love it like I did my first camp,” Mertens said. “I’ve helped with camps every summer since sixth grade. I try to make it as fun as I can. … The future of gymnastics is scary, and I want to keep people interested in it.”

Grupe said Mertens’ enthusiasm pervades the entire Braves squad.

“Sterling leads by example,” Grupe said. “She works very hard at practice and is always encouraging her teammates. Sterling was blessed with some wonderful teammates to make a very balanced, family-like team.”

That family-like atmosphere will make it hard to leave, Mertens said, when the season comes to a close. It’s something she has discussed with fellow seniors Emma Kraft and Kaegan Fredrickson.

“All three of us can agree, to just have fun,” Mertens said. “We want everyone to have fun and to support each other. Over the past four years we’ve grown close to this team. … you’re spending more time with them than you are your family, so they become your family. That’s going to be super hard and we just want to leave that legacy of being there for each other and support each other.”

Even after her competition days are done, Mertens hopes she will be around to support the team that has become like family. Last summer, she started a photography business and plans to stick around the Britton community after graduation to continue that business.

“The community in Britton is so supportive,” she said. “I can feel the love from everyone. I don’t think I could ever leave.”